The current method that is widely used by the construction industry to safeguard steel-pan stairways during the construction of a building is to place pieces of building materials, including lumber, plywood, drywall, etc., in the tread and landing pans to fill the pan voids. This approach is generally unsafe. Furthermore, it may not meet the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations in 29 CFR 1926.1052(b) because such filler might not cover the entire step, might not be at or above the level of the pan edge, and might not be secured to the metal tread pan or landing pan. Thus, using such filler might not provide for the safety of the stairways as intended by the regulations.